“-Nay, Traveler! Rest. This lonely yew-tree stands
Far from all human dwelling: what if here
No sparking rivulet spread the verdant herb; …” are the words opening Wordsworth’s piece. Wordsworth has taken a different approach that gives a glimpse of what the reader should expect. It is a journey that the speaker is taking the reader through, one shaped by humanity.
The story of the beautiful landscape others are painting is the journey the traveler is visiting. It conveys various emotions in remembrance of the lonely man who in the end left his mark by the yew-tree. The man seems to isolate himself from humanity by expressing his feelings in saying that others will feel what he has not, yet he is not allowing himself to open up with nature. This aesthetic experience is what may misguide us in life. We tend to see what we want and that causes the eye to paint a new picture as we experience. The true values in life are being left out which is causing the lonely man to fear love and happiness.
“Would he forget those beings, to whose minds,
Warm the labours of benevolence,
The world, and man himself, appeared a scene
Of kindred loveliness: then he would sigh
With mournful joy, to think that others felt
What he must never feel: and so, lost man!”
The moral of the story is to connect with society and nature and develop a love for what life brings. When Wordsworth adds the paradox between mournful and joy I believe he is trying to teach us that we are one and should come together with our surroundings. The Yew tree is a symbolism of overcoming sadness and rejoicing.
Good! I think your reading of the poem as a whole makes sense. I wonder what the picture (though it's cool) has to do with it, though. And this sentence needed some revision to make your point clearer: "The story of the beautiful landscape others are painting is the journey the traveler is visiting."
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